1,286 research outputs found
Topological pressure of simultaneous level sets
Multifractal analysis studies level sets of asymptotically defined quantities
in a topological dynamical system. We consider the topological pressure
function on such level sets, relating it both to the pressure on the entire
phase space and to a conditional variational principle. We use this to recover
information on the topological entropy and Hausdorff dimension of the level
sets.
Our approach is thermodynamic in nature, requiring only existence and
uniqueness of equilibrium states for a dense subspace of potential functions.
Using an idea of Hofbauer, we obtain results for all continuous potentials by
approximating them with functions from this subspace.
This technique allows us to extend a number of previous multifractal results
from the case to the case. We consider ergodic ratios
where the function need not be uniformly positive,
which lets us study dimension spectra for non-uniformly expanding maps. Our
results also cover coarse spectra and level sets corresponding to more general
limiting behaviour.Comment: 32 pages, minor changes based on referee's comment
Cavitation-induced ignition of cryogenic hydrogen-oxygen fluids
The Challenger disaster and purposeful experiments with liquid hydrogen (H2)
and oxygen (Ox) tanks demonstrated that cryogenic H2/Ox fluids always
self-ignite in the process of their mixing. Here we propose a
cavitation-induced self-ignition mechanism that may be realized under these
conditions. In one possible scenario, self-ignition is caused by the strong
shock waves generated by the collapse of pure Ox vapor bubble near the surface
of the Ox liquid that may initiate detonation of the gaseous H2/Ox mixture
adjacent to the gas-liquid interface. This effect is further enhanced by H2/Ox
combustion inside the collapsing bubble in the presence of admixed H2 gas
Technical note: Lessons from and best practices for the deployment of the Soil Water Isotope Storage System
Soil water isotope datasets are useful for understanding connections between the hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, and geosphere. However, they have been underproduced because of the technical challenges associated with collecting those datasets. Here, we present the results of testing and automation of the Soil Water Isotope Storage System (SWISS). The unique innovation of the SWISS is that we are able to automatically collect water vapor from the critical zone at a regular time interval and then store that water vapor until it can be measured back in a laboratory setting. Through a series of quality assurance and quality control tests, we tested whether the SWISS is resistant to both atmospheric intrusion and leaking in both laboratory and field settings. We assessed the accuracy and precision of the SWISS through a series of experiments in which water vapor of known composition was introduced into the flasks, stored for 14 d, and then measured. From these experiments, after applying an offset correction to report our values relative to Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water (VSMOW), we assess the precision of the SWISS to be ±0.9 ‰ and ±3.7 ‰ for δ18O and δ2H, respectively. We deployed three SWISS units at three different field sites to demonstrate that the SWISS stores water vapor reliably enough that we are able to differentiate dynamics both between the sites as well within a single soil column. Overall, we demonstrate that the SWISS retains the stable isotope composition of soil water vapor for long enough to allow researchers to address a wide range of ecohydrologic questions.</p
ETHNOPSYCHIATRIC INTERPRETATIONS OF SCHIZOPHRENIC ILLNESS: THE PROBLEM OF NERVIOS WITHIN MEXICAN-AMERICAN FAMILIES
S17(0) Determined from the Coulomb Breakup of 83 MeV/nucleon 8B
A kinematically complete measurement was made of the Coulomb dissociation of
8B nuclei on a Pb target at 83 MeV/nucleon. The cross section was measured at
low relative energies in order to infer the astrophysical S factor for the
7Be(p,gamma)8B reaction. A first-order perturbation theory analysis of the
reaction dynamics including E1, E2, and M1 transitions was employed to extract
the E1 strength relevant to neutrino-producing reactions in the solar interior.
By fitting the measured cross section from Erel = 130 keV to 400 keV, we find
S17(0) = 17.8 (+1.4, -1.2) eV b
Characterization of Sleep Stages by Correlations of Heartbeat Increments
We study correlation properties of the magnitude and the sign of the
increments in the time intervals between successive heartbeats during light
sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep using the detrended fluctuation analysis
method. We find short-range anticorrelations in the sign time series, which are
strong during deep sleep, weaker during light sleep and even weaker during REM
sleep. In contrast, we find long-range positive correlations in the magnitude
time series, which are strong during REM sleep and weaker during light sleep.
We observe uncorrelated behavior for the magnitude during deep sleep. Since the
magnitude series relates to the nonlinear properties of the original time
series, while the signs series relates to the linear properties, our findings
suggest that the nonlinear properties of the heartbeat dynamics are more
pronounced during REM sleep. Thus, the sign and the magnitude series provide
information which is useful in distinguishing between the sleep stages.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, revte
Asymptotic normalization coefficients (nuclear vertex constants) for and the direct astrophysical S-factors at solar energies
A new analysis of the precise experimental astrophysical S-factors for the
direct capture reaction [A.J.Junghans et al.Phys.Rev. C
68 (2003) 065803 and L.T. Baby et al. Phys.Rev. C 67 (2003) 065805] is carried
out based on the modified two - body potential approach in which the direct
astrophysical S-factor, , is expressed in terms of the
asymptotic normalization constants for and two additional
conditions are involved to verify the peripheral character of the reaction
under consideration. The Woods-Saxon potential form is used for the bound
()- state wave function and for the - scattering wave function.
New estimates are obtained for the ^{\glqq}indirectly measured\grqq values of
the asymptotic normalization constants (the nuclear vertex constants) for the
and at E 115 keV, including =0. These
values of and asymptotic normalization constants have been used for
getting information about the ^{\glqq}indirectly measured\grqq values of the
wave average scattering length and the wave effective range parameters
for - scattering.Comment: 27 pages, 6 figure
Low-lying continuum structures in B8 and Li8 in a microscopic model
We search for low-lying resonances in the B8 and Li8 nuclei using a
microscopic cluster model and a variational scattering method, which is
analytically continued to complex energies. After fine-tuning the
nucleon-nucleon interaction to get the known 1+ state of B8 at the right
energy, we reproduce the known spectra of the studied nuclei. In addition, our
model predicts a 1+ state at 1.3 MeV in B8, relative to the Be7+p threshold,
whose corresponding pair is situated right at the Li7+n threshold in Li8.
Lacking any experimental evidence for the existence of such states, it is
presently uncertain whether these structures really exist or they are spurious
resonances in our model. We demonstrate that the predicted state in B8, if it
exists, would have important consequences for the understanding of the
astrophysically important Be7(p,gamma)B8 reaction.Comment: 6 pages with 1 figure. The postscript file and more information are
available at http://nova.elte.hu/~csot
A Measurement of the Coulomb Dissociation of 8B at 254 MeV/nucleon and the 8B Solar Neutrino Flux
We have measured the Coulomb dissociation of 8B into 7Be and proton at 254
MeV/nucleon using a large-acceptance focusing spectrometer. The astrophysical
S17 factor for the 7Be(p,gamma)8B reaction at E{c.m.} = 0.25-2.78 MeV is
deduced yielding S17(0)=20.6 \pm 1.2 (exp.) \pm 1.0 (theo.) eV-b.
This result agrees with the presently adopted zero-energy S17 factor obtained
in direct-reaction measurements and with the results of other
Coulomb-dissociation studies performed at 46.5 and 51.2 MeV/nucleon.Comment: paper to be published in Phys. Rev. Lett. 3 figures. New Version
fixes formatting problems with the figures only. There are no other change
Getting into hot water:sick guppies frequent warmer thermal conditions
Ectotherms depend on the environmental temperature for thermoregulation and exploit thermal regimes that optimise physiological functioning. They may also frequent warmer conditions to up-regulate their immune response against parasite infection and/or impede parasite development. This adaptive response, known as ‘behavioural fever’, has been documented in various taxa including insects, reptiles and fish, but only in response to endoparasite infections. Here, a choice chamber experiment was used to investigate the thermal preferences of a tropical freshwater fish, the Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata), when infected with a common helminth ectoparasite Gyrodactylus turnbulli, in female-only and mixed-sex shoals. The temperature tolerance of G. turnbulli was also investigated by monitoring parasite population trajectories on guppies maintained at a continuous 18, 24 or 32 °C. Regardless of shoal composition, infected fish frequented the 32 °C choice chamber more often than when uninfected, significantly increasing their mean temperature preference. Parasites maintained continuously at 32 °C decreased to extinction within 3 days, whereas mean parasite abundance increased on hosts incubated at 18 and 24 °C. We show for the first time that gyrodactylid-infected fish have a preference for warmer waters and speculate that sick fish exploit the upper thermal tolerances of their parasites to self medicate
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